Known as the pitman’s Bishop, Dr Jenkins was consecrated as the Bishop of Durham in 1984 - the year the miners’ strikes began and at his enthronement in Durham Cathedral he publicly declared that “the miners must not be defeated”.

The former finance chief of the Durham Miners’ Association, George Robson recalled introducing Dr Jenkins and Arthur Scargill to one another in 1992 after the service.

He said: “The crack was unbelievable, the verbal fencing was just amazing. He really made people think.

“He was highly respected in Durham by the mining community, he offered solace and support to believers, and non-believers, when they were going through a very difficult time.”

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Paying tribute during the service The Bishop of Ripon The Right Reverend James Bell touched on Dr Jenkin’s notoriety as a controversial cleric.

Dubbed the ‘unbelieving Bishop’ after he was quoted doubting that God would have arranged a Virgin Birth and the resurrection.

York Minister was struck by lightning and burst into flames just days after his consecration in 1984. The events led some to claim that the fire was a sign of divine wrath in outrage at his appointment as Bishop.

The Right Reverend James Bell repeated one of Bishop Jenkins’ favourite affirmations, “God is, as he is in Jesus, therefore, there is hope,” during he service.

He said: “That one statement knocks on the head the notion that he was the ‘unbelieving Bishop’.

“It wasn’t just a mater of Orthodoxy, it was a matter of faith and his personal faith.”

The Bishop of Ripon added that Bishop Jenkins was determined to make people think during his time as Bishop of Durham and recounted his excitement after receiving a phone call from someone who told him that the resurrection was being discussed in the pubs of Glasgow after his controversial comments.